April Homeschool Mother’s Journal 2017

In my life last month…

We celebrated my middle child joining the realm of teenagers. I'm not a party throwing pro, so we don't have parties every year. This year was special. Thankfully we came to an agreement on a party theme, and it all came together beautifully. Check out her "Planty Party".

Celebrating my middle girlie becoming a teenager today! She's such a precious soul. I learn so much from her every day. I'm so blessed to have her in my life. #birthdaycelebration #daughtersrock #teenmom #blessed

A post shared by Betsy Strauss (@family_style_schooling) on Mar 12, 2017 at 7:54pm PDT

She really wanted to go see Beauty and the Beast for her birthday, so we decided to go as a family on the anniversary of my sister's accident. As I was sharing this idea with a friend, she thoughtfully shared that this was the perfect movie for us to see on such an occasion. Belle is such a beautiful example of someone who finds joy in the bleakest of circumstances. We all loved the movie (despite the hype of controversial themes). Afterwards, we joined some friends at SoCal Taco and enjoyed fellowship and great food.

In our homeschool this month…

The focus of this month has been Memory Master! In Classical Conversations, our younger kids memorize basic facts from seven different subjects. At the end of the year if they can say all of their memory work, they are acknowledged as a Memory Master. It's an excellent accomplishment and a great confidence booster. I have one student who is a sponge, and he's doing so well with his pursuit.

That being said, I've also got one student who wants to do Memory Master at home. She can say all of the memory work, but she sometimes needs a couple of hints to get her started. As her teacher, I can tell that she really does know the material, but the testing process really stresses her out. We've opted to just work on the accomplishment at home and she's content with that.

My favorite thing this month…

A good friend invited me on a ladies retreat this month, and it was exactly what I needed. I spent a lot of time reading, working on my blog, and laughing with friends. I didn't know all of the ladies here with me, but it was great to make new friends. I hope to bring more friends back with me another day!

I've had a great weekend with friends old and new at Ragle's Retreat in Canton, TX. It's so good to get away, rest, and read. I'm thinking this just needs to become a regular thing. #getaway #retreat #readallweekend #homeschool #friendstime #bedandbreakfast #cantontx

A post shared by Betsy Strauss (@family_style_schooling) on Mar 26, 2017 at 9:37am PDT

If you get a chance to get away, take it. As a mom, homeschooling or not, it's so easy to take care of everyone else and run yourself ragged. A step back for a little refreshment is a great way to rest and recharge.

Can I Have Two Favorite Things?

I am addicted to printing. I'm also a visual person, so I love printing in color. This has been very dangerous in the past with previous printers that guzzled ink. In order to save money, I downsized my printing at home capabilities, which meant that whenever I needed something printed in color, I had to go to an office supply store to get it done.

So frustrating! I finally caved and purchased a new printer, but this time it came with an ink subscription. For $4.99 a month, I can print 100 full color copies with as much saturated color as I want. That is like $0.05 per copy. It is awesome.

When my ink cartridge runs low, they automatically ship me a replacement cartridge so I never run out. I only pay for the copies, not the cartridges. There are higher and lower subscription plans, but I am hooked. You can sign up to try it out for a month for free and see how you like it. I'm sure you'll see why it's one of my favorite things!

What We're Reading…

I love my "Time to Read" clock. Every time I see it, it reminds me how important reading is to my soul. We've been doing read alouds in the morning and evening. Here's what we've read:

In the Morning:

• Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
• Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
• The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
• The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

In the Evening:

• On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
• North, Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson
• The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
• Molehill, Vol. 2 from the Rabbit Room

My daughter had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was taking and we had to stay home from Classical Conversations. My goal with our home sick day was to prove to her that we could have fun without watching movies the whole time. We read The Little Lamb together and worked on her faces of history paper. It was a really precious time!

I've been reading like a crazy person myself. It may be because I can't put the Wingfeather Saga down. I'm reading ahead of our read aloud time, and it's not because I'm a good mother previewing our books! I'm too curious to wait for them. Here's what else I've been reading this month:

• On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
• North, Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson
• The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
• The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson
• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (This is the first time I've read the Little House books...small confession)
• The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton
• The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers

On my blog in case you missed it...

If you're looking for a fun spring unit study, check out these Garden Inspired books and activities.

I've also been sharing some Classical Conversations inspired ideas:

• Resources on my bookshelf for Foundations Cycle 3
• What I learned in Challenge I
• Some of my favorite Improv Games I've used when tutoring my challenge classes
• Resources on my bookshelf (or online) for Challenge I
• Help for middle grade Saxon math from Nicole the Math Lady

Click below to get a peek behind the scenes of other homeschool moms:

Betsy

Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.